Branching Out
by Candlestic
Summary: One-shot. Post Nightingale my other story . Basically what happens when Mariette finds out Rose has never sung before. Nico/OC&Pedro/OC. :


Author's note: Ok first of all, hey everyone and sorry for not reviewing at the moment. I've been quite busy. So here's a little one-shot set after Nightingale that I've had in my mind. Sorry about it being short but I hope you like it. :). It also has a song in it "Boys and Girls" by Pixie Lott. That's all from me - expect for the disclaimer: I don't own Rio - so enjoy. :)

* * *

"Wake up sleepy head. Come on. Wake up."

Ri groaned as a wing gently shook off the tantalising wisps of sleep. "But I don't want to," she mumbled.

"You have to: you promised."

She was right, Ri realised. "And it was such a good dream too." Sighing she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She was not a morning bird.

Rose on the other hand, loved mornings: Ri knew she would sit on the edge of the hollow and watch the sun rise almost every day. And why not; the view was amazing. Even though Mariette was almost never found there in the morning, she was known to gaze at the moon from the same spot at night. Either way, both Rose and Mariette loved the view from their hollow.

Slightly annoyed at being woken up so early, Ri grudgingly got out of bed, however when she met the Cardinal's excited gaze her annoyance disappeared; she could never stay annoyed at her for long, there was just something about her that brought the best out of Mariette. That was probably why they had moved in together not long after Rose had arrived in Rio. Both had needed a permanent place to stay, both got along extremely well and either could normally be found at either their own hollow or at Nico's and Pedro's just across the lake. Really, it was the best solution.

Speaking of Pedro and Nico, they were the reason Ri had to get up so early this morning. Pedro had been teaching Ri some new dance moves and Rose had been dying to learn them too. She would have gone to Pedro to learn but she was too shy to dance around him; she shouldn't be, Rose had to be the best dancer Ri had ever seen but she was so self-conscious of herself. The only bird she felt comfortable enough to dance around was Ri, thus leaving the dancing lessons to her.

Finally out of bed, Ri glanced at the enthusiastic Rose. "Alright, how well can you keep a melody?" She asked. Dancing always came easier to her when there was music.

Rose's face fell and she stared shyly at the ground. "I don't know," she whispered. "I've never tried before."

Mariette's eyes widened, "What? You've never sung before in your life?"

She shyly nodded.

"Well that's going to change: sing something for me."

Now it was Rose's turn for her eyes to bulge, "What? Now? I couldn't. What would I sing?"

"What do you know?" Ri asked. She fluttered over to the Cardinal and put a wing around her comfortably, "Don't worry, I don't care how good or how bad you sing. But no one can say they've never sung before. It's just a part of life."

Rose looked at her doubtfully, "Well alright."

Softly she started singing an old nursery rhyme and Ri's eyes widened. Rose's voice was smooth and low, giving the lullaby a beautiful, natural feeling to it and her lilting accent lent the words a charming air.

After the few verses, she faded out quietly before looking at Ri apprehensively. "I did awful, didn't I?"

"What?" Mariette gasped. "No, you were brilliant. In fact, did you-" she faltered, not sure how Rose was going to take the idea, "did you want to perform at the Branch with me next?"

Rose gaped at her, "Ri, I couldn't. All those birds."

Ri put her wing around her again, "You'll be fine. Don't worry, I'll be right there to help you through it and we'll practise heaps. Besides, Pedro will be there."

Rose eyed her nervously, "Well…maybe."

Ri laughed, "Great! Come on, we'll start practising now. I know just the song."

* * *

Rose glanced out from behind the backstage curtain and felt her stomach tighten. There were a lot of birds out there. Glancing over the crowd, she immediately spotted Pedro and Nico, along with Raphael, Eva, Blu and Jewel: looked like all their friends had decided to come along.

Forgetting about the crowd, Rose's gaze focused on the Red-crested Cardinal, noticing that he looked just as nervous and excited as how Rose felt. More than anything she didn't want to stuff up in front of him.

"You'll be fine, trust me. Besides, he won't care even if you stuff up," Ri reassured her with the amazing mind reading ability she seemed to have with Rose.

Rose smiled, "Thanks, but I still feel nervous."

"That's fine," Mariette consoled her, "just don't let it take over. Now come on, we're up."

She gently pulled Rose onto the stage and Rose felt her heart pound with the opening music.

"_I'm looking in the mirror and I think I'm liking what I see," _nervous, she glanced at Ri. She nodded her head reassuringly so Rose continued, _"Big, pink lights shining bright, like I'm on the TV."_

Mariette joined her now, singing a harmony. Encouraged a little, Rose kept an eye on her as they started their dance moves. _**"My heart pumps as the bass drum thumps,**_

_**You gotta move when the floorboard jumps,"**_ Rose grinned as she and Ri jumped at the same time.

"_Something's going on and I think it's going on right now."_

And with that, they launched into the chorus, _**"All the boys and the girls they got it going on.**_

_**When the beat kicks in you feel it in your bones.**_

_**When the basement cracks and the needle drops. **_

_**You can't turn back and you just can't stop."**_

Rose felt herself relaxing as the familiarity of the music and the dancing kicked in. _"All the boys and the girls," _she sang.

"**No you just can't stop," **Mariette finished.

"_All the boys and the girls."_

"**No you just can't stop."**

"_All the boys and the girls." _

They separated to opposite sides of the stage: Rose facing the audience and Ri with her back to them. Lifting a wing, she counted down, **"And a one and a two and a three."**

Rose started singing, _"I can see the silhouettes dancing up against the wall." _ Ri swayed her hips from side to side throwing her own silhouette upon the stage wall.

Then she joined Rose in singing, _**"It sure feels good, feels good,"**_ before Rose took over,_ "yeah we're gonna lose control."_

Rose led the verse while Ri took over the dancing, singing an accompanying harmony, _**"Turn it on, make it strong, a good beat never hurt no-one.**_

_**Kicking up the dust and we're making every move we know."**_

As Ri came out of her turn, she made eye contact with Nico and she winked.

"_Ye-e-ah."_

"_**All the boys and the girls they got it going on," **_Rose joined Mariette in the centre with the dancing.

"_**When the beat kicks in you feel it in your bones.**_

_**When the basement cracks and the needle drops. **_

_**You can't turn back and you just can't stop."**_

"_All the boys and the girls."_

"**No you just can't stop."**

"_All the boys and the girls."_

"**No you just can't stop."**

"_All the boys and the girls."_

"**No you just can't stop."**

"_All the boys and the girls."_

"**No you just can't stop."**

The two of them moved towards the audience, getting them involved **"Wooooh oooh,"** Mariette sang with them.

"_Baby don't stop."_

"**Wooooh oooh."**

"_Keep the vibes up."_

"**Wooooh oooh,"**

"_Baby don't stop."_

"**Wooooh oooh."**

"_Keep the vibes up."_

The music faded down, leaving Rose singing alone in the centre of the stage, _"Turn it on, make it strong."_

Mariette joined her, _**"A good beat never hurt no-one."**_

"**Yeah-yeah," **Ri sang, flipping up towards the rafters.

"_All the boys and the girls." _Ri drifted down with her notes, watching happily as Rose owned the stage singing the chorus as she added a musical cannon over the top.

"_**They got it going on."**_

"_And when the beat kicks in you feel it in your bones."_

"**And when the beat kicks in you feel it in your bones."**

"_When the basement cracks and the needle drops._

_You can't turn back and you just can't stop."_

"**No you just can't stop."**

"_All the boys and the girls."_

"**No you just can't stop,"** Ri encouraged the audience.

"_All the boys and the girls."_

"**Yeah-yeah,"** Mariette sung as the audience took up the, "No you just can't stop."

"_All the boys and the girls."_

This time Mariette joined the audience as she danced towards Rose, **"No you just can't stop."**

"_**All the boys and the girls."**_

"_No you just can't stop,"_ Rose finished back to back with Ri.

As the music stopped the crowd went wild and Rose and Mariette grinned at each other.

Slowly they made their way off the stage and over to their friends.

"See, I told you she was amazing," Mariette commented through their congratulations.

"Amazing? You were extraordinary!" Pedro exclaimed to Rose. "Why didn't you tell me you could sing and dance?" he asked hurt.

Rose glanced down shyly, "I didn't know I could."

Pedro looked at her with an arch raised. "Do you know who you sound like? You sound exactly like Ri did before we helped her find her confidence. So now it's your turn: soon we'll have you basking in the glory of your talent," he promised, spinning her close to his side and dipping her. She giggled.

Mariette was laughing at the two of them when she felt a wing slide around her waist and gently she let herself be pulled round to face Nico.

"Rose isn't the only one who is amazing. What you did was extraordinary."

Ri shrugged, "It was nothing. That performance wasn't even one of my best."

"I'm not talking about the performance," he said with a smile. "I'm talking about helping Rose with her confidence. Look at them."

She looked across to where Pedro and Rose were now dancing. Despite the complex movements he was performing, Pedro seemed unable to keep his mouth shut: letting out an endless stream of compliments on Rose's performance, her dancing and her beauty. Rose, on the other hand, danced silently with a radiant smile and a glowing face.

"That's not nothing. What you did for them is irreplaceable," Nico murmured softly. "Just like you are to me."

She turned back to him. "I would be nothing without you," she replied sincerely.

He smiled, "I doubt that. But if it makes you feel better, you can continue to be extraordinary because I'm not going anywhere."

She gazed into his warm, brown eyes and her heart fluttered. Truly, she was the luckiest bird in the world.

* * *

I think I'm getting better at Romance. I love that bit at the end. :). Anyway, I've got another Rio story in mind, so expect to hear from me again. But for now, I think I need to give the other cartoons some love. Bye for now, and keep up the great writing! :)


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